Hebrews 2:6 in 8 translations
8 distinct wordings, grouped by what each translation is trying to do. Differences from the King James text are marked below.
Early modern English
Seventeenth-century wording and sentence shape. Familiar, rhythmic, and the version most quotations you have heard are taken from.
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
1611 / 1769 · Public domain · The Authorised Version, revised to the 1769 Blayney text. Includes the Apocrypha as printed in 1611.
Literal, word-for-word
Follows Hebrew and Greek word order and grammar closely, even where the English becomes stiff. Useful for seeing what the underlying sentence is doing.
But one hath somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
1901 · Public domain · The American revision of the English Revised Version. Deliberately literal, and the base text behind several later translations.
but one has testified somewhere, saying, What is man, that thou rememberest him, or son of man that thou visitest him?
1890 · Public domain · John Nelson Darby's translation, made for close study rather than public reading. Often exposes grammatical detail other versions smooth over.
and one in a certain place did testify fully, saying, `What is man, that Thou art mindful of him, or a son of man, that Thou dost look after him?
1898 · Public domain · The most extreme word-for-word rendering here, keeping Hebrew and Greek tense and word order at the cost of natural English.
Modern English
Contemporary vocabulary and punctuation, aiming for the sentence a present-day reader would write while staying close to the source.
But one has somewhere testified, saying, “What is man, that you think of him? Or the son of man, that you care for him?
2000s · Public domain · A modern-English update of the ASV. Reads close to contemporary speech while staying in the literal tradition. Includes the Apocrypha.
No; a writer has declared somewhere – ‘What are mere mortals that you should remember them? Or human beings that you should care for them?
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · A modern open-licensed translation, still being completed. Some Old Testament books are not yet available.
No; a writer has declared somewhere – “What are mere mortals that you should remember them? Or human beings that you should care for them?
in progress · Public domain (CC0) · The Commonwealth spelling edition of the Open English Bible. Identical wording to the US edition apart from spelling.
Simplified English
Built from a deliberately small vocabulary so the sense stays reachable for new readers and non-native speakers. Trades nuance for clarity.
But a certain writer has given his witness, saying, What is man, that you keep him in mind? what is the son of man, that you take him into account?
1949 · Public domain · Written with roughly a thousand basic English words plus a small Bible vocabulary. The plainest reading available here.
What changes between the King James and modern wording
The modern rendering is printed below with every word that differs from the King James text marked, so the actual divergence is visible rather than left for you to spot.
But one has somewhere testified, saying, What is man, that you think of him? or the son of man, that you care for him?
Word-for-word swaps
- place→has
- mindful→you
- visitest→you
The verses either side
King James text. A comparison is easier to judge when you can see the sentence the verse sits inside.